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The latest return of bodies of the fragile Israel-Hamas
ceasefire came a day after Palestinian militants in Gaza handed
over the body of an Israeli soldier taken hostage in the Oct. 7,
2023 attack that started the war.
Hamas has returned the remains of 21 hostages to Israel under a
ceasefire that began Oct. 10, which is aimed at winding down the
deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel
and the Palestinian militant group.
Militants in Gaza have released one to three bodies every few
days. Israel has pushed to speed up the returns and in certain
cases has said the remains were not those of hostages. Hamas has
said the work is complicated by widespread devastation.
For each Israeli hostage returned, Israel has been releasing the
remains of 15 Palestinians. Fewer than half have been
identified. Forensic work is complicated by a lack of DNA
testing kits in Gaza. The Health Ministry there posts photos of
the remains online, in the hope that families will recognize
them.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel
on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251
taken hostage.
Israel responded with a sweeping military offensive that has
killed more than 68,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to
Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between
combatants and civilians. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run
government and staffed by medical professionals, maintains
detailed records viewed as generally reliable by independent
experts.
Israel, which has denied accusations by a U.N. commission of
inquiry and others of committing genocide in Gaza, has disputed
the ministry’s figures without providing a contradicting toll.
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